Todd Covington entered Nationals Park to watch the Nationals battle against the Padres in the second of a three-game series on Wednesday. By the time he exited the stadium, Covington had not only witnessed Washington secure a 5–3 victory but found himself being lauded as a hero for saving a man’s life who was choking during the game.
Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan in Washington reported that when a group of fans sitting in section 113 in Nationals Park noticed that the man was choking, they immediately stopped watching the game and called for assistance. That’s when Covington hopped two rows down and performed the Heimlich maneuver.
According to Paulsen, Covington applied the maneuver for nearly 20 seconds and also pounded the man’s back to remove the object that was hindering his breathing ability. The man thanked Covington for his help and gave him a big hug after completing the procedure.
However, when Covington—a nurse and firefighter from Kansas City—was tabbed as a hero by fans, he diverted the praise and stated that he was simply “watching the game” and ended up being in the right place at the right time.
Just saw the most amazing thing at the Nats game.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) May 24, 2023
Fans started yelling for help in mass. Turns out a man was choking. A guy hopped two rows and started performing the Heimlich Maneuver on him. Legit saved his life. After 20 seconds or so the object came out. Everyone cheered.
This is the guy who just saved a life. Todd Covington. Firefighter from KC. Got a big hug from the man he saved. Everybody should buy @kcfyre35 beers tonight.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) May 24, 2023
Amazing. pic.twitter.com/u0YvXT9gkq
“We just chalk it up to another one for the good guys,” Covington said in a brief interview with Paulsen.
